Much has changed in the Middle East since the eruption of the Syrian Conflict. A late bloomer to the Arab Spring, Syria has gone beyond the narrative of dictator vs. the people and become a major proxy war with the potential to consume the entire region. In the past two years, age old strategic alliances have collapsed while strange and questionable partnerships have been formed. One of the more interesting breakdowns involves the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey, most recently evident by Turkey exploring the option of reducing oil imports from Iran.
Turkey and Iran: Conflicting Ambitions
Posted: May 19, 2013 in Iranian Nuclear Issue, Middle East, Syrian Civil War, TurkeyTags: Civil War, Erdogan, Periphery doctrine, Regional hegemony, Regionalism, Syria
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As many speculate over the future of Syria, filmmaker Suhaib Abu Doulah explores its turbulent past. From the days of the United Arab Republic to the military coup that elevated Hafez Al-Assad to the Presidency, this documentary provides a deeper look at the political culture and past experiences that have shaped a divided nation.
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Posted: April 19, 2013 in Uncategorized
Tags: Ba'athist, Coup, Egypt, Gamal Abdul Nasser, Muslim Brotherhood, Revolution, Shiite, Syria
|Guest Column| U.S. 2012 Election – To Stay the Course or Back to the Future?
Posted: November 2, 2012 in North America, United States of AmericaTags: Democrats, Obama, Politics, Republicans, Romney, US 2012 Election
by Dinesh Swaminathan
Four years have passed and a lot has changed for Barack Obama. This time around the gloss and glamour of his 2008 campaign seem absent as he tries to convince the American public to let him finish the job he started.
Obama’s first term was spent repairing and steadying a country battered by the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. The lofty goals of “change” referenced across his speeches had to be shelved for prudence. And while many adjectives can be found to describe Obama’s term report card, few would argue that the situation has not improved. In fact, many supporters cite the hand Obama was dealt as a key ingredient in killing the enthusiasm that swept the nation four years ago, a hand that was dealt by the policies of a Republican administration; one not dissimilar to the man standing opposite Obama.
|Guest Column| Who Assassinated Wissam al-Hassan?
Posted: October 29, 2012 in Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Syrian Civil Warby Bilal Hamade
On the 19th of October 2012, a car bomb explosion in East Beirut killed Police Information Branch Chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan with 2 other people. The assassination came as a surprise to many. The person in charge of the most powerful security apparatus in Lebanon is dead, who else is safe?
In the deeply divided country, accusations following every assassination are always ready. March 14 Alliance accuses Syria; while March 8 alliance accuses Israel, and the latter accuses Hezbollah. In this particular assassination however, pointing fingers is not as easy due to Al-Hassan’s enigmatic personality. The only absentee on the day of Rafiq Hariri’s assassination and the mastermind behind many successful security operations, al-Hassan has earned the title of Lebanon’s most skilled security official.
Video: Fall Out In The Mediterranean (AJE)
Posted: October 13, 2012 in Israel, Middle East, TurkeyTags: AK Parti, Cyprus, Erdogan, Periphery doctrine, Strategic Alliance
Fall Out In The Mediterranean – Al Jazeera World
Featured on Al Jazeera World, filmmakers Mariam Shahin and George Azar chart the deterioration of the Israeli-Turkish relationship. Once part of the United States’ strategic alliance in the Middle East, new realities within the region are forcing these competing powers to clearly define and prioritize their self-interests from their mutual interests. The documentary also looks into the impact of recently discovered gas deposits on the future of this once key strategic alliance.
To read more of about the history of Israeli-Turkish relations and their loose grouping under the periphery policy, click here.
Jordan: Calm amidst the Chaos
Posted: August 20, 2012 in Middle East, Syrian Civil WarTags: East Bankers, Hashemite, Jordan, Palestinians, Refugees, Syria
In the midst of the chaos that defines Middle Eastern politics to the outside world, Jordan seems to be strange anomaly. Since its post-World War II establishment, the principality has gone through little change and comparatively lacked the tumultuous turns and revolutions that have forged their neighbors. However, in a region where every bomb blast and rocket fired causes a ripple effect, Jordan has not been immune to the pressures outside their borders. Today, the state is bearing the brunt of a refugee crisis stemming from the conflict in Syria, a role it has grown accustomed to playing since its’ inception.
|Guest Column| Could Syria’s Civil War Redraw the Map of the Middle East?
Posted: July 21, 2012 in Guest Opinions, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Syrian Civil War, TurkeyTags: Arab Spring, Assad, Civil War, Middle East, Politics, Regionalism, S, Shiite, Shiite Crescent, Sunni, Syria
By Frazier Fathers
This past week’s decapitating strike by Syrian opposition forces resulted in the deaths of Defense Minister Dawood Rajiha, his “deputy” Asef Shawkat (Assad’s brother-in law), Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani and Hisham Ikhtiar (Syria’s National Security Chief). The brazen bombing showed that the situation in Syria has recently deteriorated much quicker than many expected; the ability of the ever emboldened opposition to strike at the higher echelons of the Syrian regime is becoming a potential game changer. As the situation continues to spiral out of control, reports of ethnic cleansing of neighbourhoods and villages to the driving out of Iraqi refuges are raising sectarian tensions.
With pundits all agreeing that it is not a matter of “if” the Assad regime will fall but rather “when,” attention needs to be paid to what the aftermath of his fall might be. Syria is a divided nation in a divided region, where the majority Sunni population has been repressed at the hands of the Alawites (Shiites). Meanwhile the Kurds of Syria much like Kurds in Iraq and Turkey has suffered years of repression that has led to various nationalistic movements within the group. Smattered between these major groups are enclaves of Druze and Christians who are positioned to be potential targets of reprisal for their years of supporting the Assad regime.
Popular political scientist John Mearsheimer and former Pentagon official Dov Zakheim argue about the merits and risks of Iran possessing nuclear weapons and its influence on Middle Eastern stability. The debate over the purpose of nuclear weapons has been reignited in recent weeks by Kenneth Waltz’s piece on the Foreign Policy Magazine, where he argues that Iranian nuclear weapons would bring stability to the region. Waltz’s article can be found here.
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Posted: July 9, 2012 in Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, Middle East, Uncategorized
|Guest Column| Emulate the Dragon: A Single-Party Government in India?
Posted: July 4, 2012 in China, East Asia, Guest Opinions, India, South AsiaTags: Communism, Comparative Politics, Democracy, Electoral System, Informed Opinions, Politics
By Varun Bindra
India and China share similar histories; both were liberated from imperialist rule in the mid-1940s and both have experienced a period of economic prosperity since the late 20th Century. However, one core difference between the two nations will allow China to continue to prosper while causing India’s economic performance to stagnate: their governments. On paper, India’s democracy seems much more enlightened than China’s one-party Communist state. In fact, many would agree that it is. However, while India’s model has allowed for better civil and human rights, its democracy is holding the nation back from the economic prosperity attained by China. And while democracy has allowed the West to undergo rapid economic development in the 19th and 20th Centuries, the democratic model cannot be effectively emulated in India for a few reasons.
A New Age of Warfare
Posted: June 29, 2012 in China, Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, United States of AmericaIn 1984, a Canadian director and an Austrian strong-man created a film franchise based on an intelligent computer system that turns on its creators and wages war on mankind. The Terminator series went onto spawned many sequels, a TV series and even a horrible Nintendo game. Yet be not alarmed, there is no impending robot apocalypse. However, our rapid progress and deeper reliance on technology might be leading us in to a new era of war; adding new layers to an age-old human ritual that has constantly been streamlined and perfected. What does this evolution mean for the nation-state and its concept of war and security? How will these advances impact the century succeeding the bloodiest hundred years in human history?
